U.S. patent application number 14/876464 was filed with the patent office on 2016-06-09 for fuze for stun grenade.
The applicant listed for this patent is Safariland, LLC. Invention is credited to John A. Hultman, John A. Kapeles.
Application Number | 20160161234 14/876464 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 42677096 |
Filed Date | 2016-06-09 |
United States Patent
Application |
20160161234 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Kapeles; John A. ; et
al. |
June 9, 2016 |
Fuze for Stun Grenade
Abstract
A stun grenade includes a fuze assembly secured to a housing
adjacent gas outlet ports. The fuze assembly includes a fuze body
having contact surfaces located in the flow path of the gas from
the outlet ports so that gas flowing from the outlet ports impinges
on the contact surfaces. The contact surfaces of the fuze body
extend at an angle of no more than about 50 degrees to the first
direction.
Inventors: |
Kapeles; John A.; (Casper,
WY) ; Hultman; John A.; (Casper, WY) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Safariland, LLC |
Jacksonville |
FL |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
42677096 |
Appl. No.: |
14/876464 |
Filed: |
October 6, 2015 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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13860904 |
Apr 11, 2013 |
9151584 |
|
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14876464 |
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12720208 |
Mar 9, 2010 |
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13860904 |
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61158673 |
Mar 9, 2009 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
102/368 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F42B 27/00 20130101;
F42B 12/36 20130101; F42C 19/02 20130101; F42B 12/46 20130101; F42B
12/42 20130101; F42B 8/26 20130101; F42C 14/02 20130101; F42C 9/10
20130101; F41H 9/00 20130101 |
International
Class: |
F42C 19/02 20060101
F42C019/02; F42C 14/02 20060101 F42C014/02; F42B 27/00 20060101
F42B027/00 |
Claims
1. A stun grenade comprising: a housing having a chamber centered
on an axis and containing an activatable gas generating material;
the housing having outlet ports for directing gas out of the
chamber, upon activation of the gas generating material, along a
gas flow path that extends in a first direction generally parallel
to the axis; a fuze assembly for activating the gas generating
material, secured to the housing adjacent the outlet ports; the
fuze assembly including a fuze body having contact surfaces located
in the flow path of the gas from the outlet ports so that gas
flowing from the outlet ports impinges on the contact surfaces; the
contact surfaces of the fuze body extending at an angle of no more
than about 50 degrees to the first direction.
2. A stun grenade as set forth in claim 1 wherein the contact
surfaces extend at an angle to the first direction that is in the
range of from about 20 degrees to about 40 degrees.
3. A stun grenade as set forth in claim 2 wherein the contact
surfaces extend at an angle to the first direction that is about 31
degrees.
4. A stun grenade as set forth in claim 1 wherein the fuze body
comprises two planar wings each having an outer edge surface
presented at least partially toward the outlet port, the outer edge
surfaces of the wings constituting the contact surfaces of the fuze
body, the outer edge surfaces of the wings extending at an angle of
no more than about 50 degrees to the first direction.
5. A stun grenade as set forth in claim 4 wherein the outer edge
surfaces of the wings extend at an angle of about 30 degrees to the
first direction.
6. A stun grenade as set forth in claim 1 wherein the fuze body
includes a main body portion located radially inward of the outlet
ports, the main body portion of the fuze body supporting the
contact surfaces of the fuze body at a location radially outward of
the main body portion and in the flow path of gas from the outlet
port.
7. A stun grenade as set forth in claim 1 wherein the fuze body
includes a threaded mounting post screwed into the housing to
secure the fuze assembly to the housing, the mounting post
including a fine thread convolution with filleted roots.
8. A stun grenade as set forth in claim 1 wherein the fuze body
includes a threaded mounting post screwed into the housing to
secure the fuze assembly to the housing, the mounting post
including a thick walled cross section.
9. A stun grenade comprising: a housing having a chamber centered
on an axis and containing an activatable gas generating material;
the housing having outlet ports for directing gas out of the
chamber, upon activation of the gas generating material, along a
gas flow path that extends in a first direction generally parallel
to the axis; a fuze assembly for activating the gas generating
material, secured to the housing adjacent the outlet ports; the
fuze assembly including a fuze body having a mounting post threaded
into the housing to secure the fuze to the housing; the fuze body
having a lever support portion located axially and radially outward
of the post and projecting over the outlet port; the lever support
portion being free of gas contact surfaces that extend at an angle
of more than about 50 degrees to the first direction; the mounting
post having a fine pitch thread convolution that is threadedly
engaged with a fine pitch thread convolution on the housing to
secure the fuze to the housing, the fine pitch thread convolution
on the fuze body threaded post having a filleted root diameter.
Description
RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims the benefit of the filing date of
U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/158,673, filed Mar. 9, 2009,
titled Improved Distraction Device Fuze, the entire disclosure of
which is incorporated by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Explosive grenades are designed to cause fragmentation of
most or all of their parts, including the housing and the fuze
body, so as to inflict maximum damage on a person who is nearby
when the device explodes.
[0003] More recently, a class of grenades have been designed that
are variously known as stun grenades, or flash-bang devices. These
devices are not intended to cause physical harm, but rather are
intended to temporarily stun a person with a loud sound, a bright
flash, and a pressure wave. Such devices are intended to be
activated near the person and thus must not fragment or they could
cause serious harm to the person.
[0004] Many of these less lethal devices use carry-over parts from
fragmentation grenades, simply replacing the explosive charge with
a different charge. One part that has to date been carried over,
without change, is the fuze body. For example, U.S. Pat. No.
5,654,523, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by
reference, describes a stun grenade that includes a grenade body
having a plurality of vents on one end, adjacent to a fuze body
that supports the fuze of the device. The fuze body includes
portions that support the release lever of the device. The outlet
vents of the grenade body direct some of the byproducts onto the
fuze body wings. The force that is transmitted into the fuze body
by the explosion byproducts can undesirably cause the fuze head to
separate, or the fuze body otherwise to fragment, consequences that
could undesirably result in injury to a nearby person. The present
invention addresses this problem.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0005] Features and advantages of the invention will become
apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art to which the invention
pertains from a reading of the following description together with
the attached drawings, in which:
[0006] FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a stun grenade in
accordance with a first embodiment of the invention;
[0007] FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a portion of the device of
FIG. 1 illustrating a fuze assembly that is part of the device;
[0008] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a fuze body that forms part
of the fuze assembly;
[0009] FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 1 of a prior art stun
grenade;
[0010] FIG. 5 is an enlarged schematic view of a portion of the
fuze body of the stun grenade of FIG. 1; and
[0011] FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 5 of the fuze body of the
prior art stun grenade of FIG. 4.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0012] This invention relates to stun grenades, and in particular
relates to a stun grenade with a fuze body that is configured to
minimize the possibility of separation or fragmentation. The
invention is applicable to stun grenades of varying and different
configurations. As representative of the invention, FIG. 1
illustrates a stun grenade 10 constructed in accordance with a
first embodiment of the invention.
[0013] The stun grenade 10 includes a housing 12. The housing 12
includes a main body 14 having a cylindrical configuration centered
on a longitudinal central axis 16 of the device 10. The main body
14 defines a cylindrical chamber 18 for receiving a cartridge 20
containing a charge 22 such as an explosive mixture that when
activated generates explosion byproducts including gas under
pressure as well as a bright flash and a loud bang. A bottom wall
24 closes one end of the chamber 18 and a top wall 26 the other end
of the chamber.
[0014] The top wall 26 has a plurality of outlet ports 30
communicating with the chamber 18. The outlet ports 30 are disposed
in a circular array centered on the axis 16. A collar 32 is screwed
into the top wall 26. The collar 32 has a threaded central opening
34.
[0015] The stun grenade 10 includes a fuze assembly 40 for
activating the charge 22. The fuze assembly 40 is secured to the
collar and includes a fuze body 50. The fuze body 50 supports a
fuze lever or release lever 52. A pin 54 is received in an opening
56 in the fuze body 50; the pin must be removed before the lever 52
can be released to activate the device 10.
[0016] The fuze body 50 is preferably made from cast zinc, but can
be made from another material. The fuze body 50 includes an
externally threaded, hollow, cylindrical mounting post 58 that
screws into the collar 32. The fuze body 50 also includes a fuze
head 60, which is the portion of the fuze body that extends axially
outward of the collar 32, in a direction away from the mounting
post 58. The fuze head 60 includes a centrally located main body
portion 62 that is co-axial with the mounting post 58. A radially
extending flange 64 is located at the area between the main body
portion 62 and the mounting post 58.
[0017] The fuze head 60 includes two wings 70 that extend outward
from the main body portion 62. The wings 70 are planar in
configuration and extend parallel to each other, on opposite sides
of the axis 16, in a direction away from the axis. The wings 70
extend parallel to a radius located midway between them. Each wing
70 includes an opening 72 that receives the locking pin 54, which
extends between the two wings. Each wing 70 also includes an
opening 74 for receiving and supporting the fuze lever 52.
[0018] When viewed in elevation, as in FIG. 5, each wing 70 can be
seen to have a generally triangular edge portion 76, or lever
support portion, that contains the openings 72 and 74 that support
the pin 54 and the lever 52. The edge portion 76 is disposed
radially outward of the mounting post 58, and of the main body
portion 62, and of the flange 64 of the fuze body 50.
[0019] The wings 70 are formed with a relatively thin wall section.
For example, in one embodiment, the wings 70 are 0.08 inches in
thickness, extend about 0.4 inches radially outward from the main
body portion 62, and project about 0.8 inches axially from the
flange 64.
[0020] When the charge 22 is activated, byproducts including gas
under pressure flow from the outlet ports 30, in a flow path 80
that extends in a first direction as indicated by the arrows 82, a
direction generally parallel to the axis 16. The wings 70 are the
portion of the fuze body 50 that is located axially above the
outlet ports 30 of the device 10, in the flow path 80. The wings
are relatively far out from the axis 16 of the device 10, and thus
have a relatively high moment arm that could impart a significant
twisting force on the fuze head 60, tending to cause the fuze head
to twist upward and possibly separate from the other parts of the
fuze body 50 including the threaded mounting post 58. It is
therefore desirable to minimize forces applied to the wings by
explosion byproducts flowing from the outlet ports 30.
[0021] To this end, the fuze body 50, and specifically the wings
70, is designed with minimal exposure to the force of such
byproducts. Specifically, each wing 70 has a first edge surface 90
that extends from the outer edge of the flange 64, axially and
radially outward from the flange, to a location just outside of the
opening 72 that supports the pin 54. In one embodiment, this first
edge surface 90 extends at an angle ".alpha."(FIG. 5) which is most
preferably about 31 degrees from the first direction 82. In other
embodiments, this angle can be in the range of from 20 degrees to
50 degrees, and is preferably in the range of from 20 degrees to 40
degrees. Because the edge surface 90 lies at a relatively small
angle to the first direction 82, its exposure to the force of the
gases flowing from the output ports 30 is lessened.
[0022] Each wing 70 has a second edge surface 92 that extends from
the first edge surface 90, axially outward and radially inward, to
a location just outside of the opening 74. This second edge surface
92 merges, via a radius surface 94, with a third or outer edge
surface 96 of the wing 70, which extends perpendicular to the axis
16 and forms the axially outermost edge surface of the wing and of
the fuze body 50.
[0023] The amount or portion of the wings 70 that is located
axially in line with the outlet ports 30 and relatively far from
the axis 16 is thus minimized. Instead, the wings 70 include only
the minimum amount of material needed to provide support for the
lever 52 and the pin 54, via the openings 74 and 72, respectively.
As can be seen from FIG. 5, the wings 70 are free of surface
portions that are directly in the flow path 80 and that extend at
an angle of more than about 50 degrees, or preferably more than
about 40 degrees, to the first direction 82. In addition, the
surfaces impinged upon by the gas flowing from the outlet ports 30,
because they are angled upward from the flange, are farther away
from the outlet ports than in the prior art design (FIGS. 4 and 6).
The amount of wing material that is relative relatively far from
the axis 16 is minimized. As a result, force exerted on the wings
70 by the gas flowing from the outlet ports 30 is minimized, thus
minimizing the possibility of separation or fragmentation of the
fuze body 50. The function of the lever 52 and pin 54 are
retained.
[0024] In contrast, FIGS. 4 and 6 illustrate a prior art device 100
that includes a fuze body 102 having wings 104 with a large portion
106 disposed directly over the outlet ports 108 of the device. The
wings 104 have a first edge surface 110 that extends radially
outward, in a direction perpendicular to the axis 112. The wings
104 of the prior art device 100 are thus subject to a substantially
larger amount of force from the gases flowing from the outlet ports
108.
[0025] In accordance with another feature of the invention, the
wall thickness of the mounting post 58 is increased as compared to
the wall thickness in the prior art fuze body. The same inner
diameter is maintained, to accommodate the fuze, resulting in a
larger outer diameter for the mounting post. For example, in one
fuze body 50 that is an embodiment of the invention, a nominal
mounting post wall thickness of 0.225 inches is provided, as
compared to a nominal wall thickness of 0.116 inches in the prior
art device. This thickened cross-section provides a stronger
connection with the collar 32, and means that the fuze body 50 is
less likely to bend or separate the fuze head 60, at the location
of the flange 54, in response to forces impinging on the wings 70
upon gas generating material activation.
[0026] In accordance with another feature of the invention, the
fuze body mounting post 58 is provided with a finer thread
convolution 120 (FIG. 5) as compared to the thread convolution used
in the prior art fuze body. For example, in one fuze body 50 that
is an embodiment of the invention, a 9/16-12 thread is used, as
compared to the coarser thread that is used in the prior art
device. This results in the fuze body mounting post 58 retaining a
greater amount of material when the thread is cut, providing a
stronger connection with the collar 32, to again minimize the
possibility of the fuze body 50 bending or breaking in response to
forces impinging on it upon gas generating material activation. In
addition, the thread roots on the fuze mounting post 58 are
filleted to reduce stress concentration on the threads.
* * * * *